The Other Side
by Chio-Garu
Summary: A mysterious girl without a past is found in the world of Z, who is she? Is she as harmless as they perceive? Or is there a darker more sinister secret behind her…


The Other Side

By Chio-Garu

A mysterious girl without a past is found in the world of Z, who is she? Is she as harmless as they perceive? Or is there a darker more sinister secret behind her…

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragonball Z or any of its characters and concepts.

Copyright: Any additional characters that are not part of the world of Z and such events are of my own making and any resemblances in person or event are completely coincidental as this is FICTIONAL.

Another thing, this is going to turn into somewhat of a teen romance so if that isn't your kind of thing, I advise you not to read on. Another thing you don't need to be much of a DBZ fan or know-it-all in order to understand or enjoy this story so don't let that put you off.

The skies are darker than they had ever been…and so it is not a difficult feat to make out the white mists that swirl and gather above. It was forecast to be the one of the worst storms in Earth's history, but the Z warriors know better. _Something_ is coming…They don't know what but it would be there soon…and may just be, yet another threat to the planet. And so they stand together, watching and waiting in Capsule Corps oversized backyard. For whatever reason, the strange energies they are sensing are gathering just above multi-billionaire family's lawn.

"This gives me the creeps." Bulma shivers, gaze fixed to the _unnatural_ looking sky.

Bra whimpers burying her face into her mother's skirt.

"Get the girl inside, woman…and stay there." Vegeta orders, his eyes never wavering.

The blue-haired woman opens her mouth to protest, only to be interrupted by her equally headstrong husband.

"It could get dangerous…You and the girl would just be a distraction."

Bulma sighs, it was Vegeta's way of saying he was worried for their safety. "Okay, I'll go but…try not to get killed, okay?"

The Saya-Jin prince grunts in reply.

Bulma pauses just long enough to brush his cheek with her lips, before she heads for the house, firmly holding onto their daughter's hand.

"I'm glad none of the other women decided to come." Goku speaks up.

"You have that right, they could get in the way or worse." Gohan replies, stating the obvious, perhaps just for the sake of making conversation.

Lightning cracks across the sky closely followed by the unmistakable boom of thunder.

"Are you sure that no one is trying to make a wish with the Dragonballs?" Krillin asks nervously.

Piccolo shakes his head "No, I checked with Dende and they're with him."

All eyes return to the sky.

The waiting is getting to the youngest fighter…Goten impatiently kicks at a nearby pebble, much harder than he had meant to, thus the stone proceeds to shoot through the easily-riled Saya-Jin prince's hair leaving a distinct round hole in it.

"Trunks?"

"Uh…yes, father?" Trunks asks hesitantly, his father's tone of voice…

"Remind me to obliterate your friend once this business is taken care of."

"Now, Vegeta, don't get all upset." Goku attempts to keep his hot-headed friend's anger at bay.

"I will obliterate whom I please, Kakarott even if it is your second born."

"Dad, don't you think 'obliteration' is a little bit…harsh?" Trunks steps in.

"Defending your friend won't help much…besides…would you appreciate it if I blew a rock through YOUR hair!?"

"Geez! It was a pebble not a rock and it's not like your hair looked great to begin with."

"If you want to start something with me BOY, then say so!"

"Fine! Go throw a tantrum over a tiny hole in your hedge-shaped hair! I'm the one who's suffering here!" The youth throws his arms into the air for emphasis, "I had to cancel a date!" Goten complains, "All because a bunch of _old_ guys have a 'bad feeling'."

"You asked for it, boy!" Vegeta raises his fists, the veins in his forehead swelling into anger-induced prominence.

"Vegeta! That's enough!" Goku steps in to quell the beginnings of a fight.

"Fine, I'll fight you instead Kakarott!" Vegeta swings a punch at his rival. Caught entirely by surprise, Goku is sent flying into a tree.

"Hey! That hurt!" Goku gets up with a sigh, before he too takes on a fighting stance.

Piccolo sighs, "Here we go again."

Once again lightning cracks across the sky as the wind gains momentum, the sudden strong gusts forcing the Z warriors to step back. The light starts to crackle and gather at an alarming speed, one could taste the distinct prickle of electricity in the air. And as the winds increase, howling down the trees, tearing at branches, whipping anything and everything that isn't fastened down to the ground skyward…a blinding white rift opens in the black chaos, forcing the Z warriors to cover their eyes and brace themselves against te growing intensity of the storm. But…within seconds, the light dims…and whatever it is they had been waiting for…had finally arrived. Hurtling towards the ground…towards them.

"But…" Vegeta's eyes widen as do those of the rest. Whatever 'it' is…Isn't of great strength at all, in fact it is quite minimal and other than being…_different_ somehow, not at all out of the ordinary. It is getting closer and closer to the ground…everyone squinting struggling to make out what 'it' is. Before finally, Trunks launches into the air towards it, followed closely by Goten, who when it came to these adventures is never far behind his former partner in mischief. The purple-haired youth catches 'it' first…and the two young men remain suspended in the air for several moments before they slowly descend…

Trunks lands steadily and the Z warriors gather around curious, wanting a better look at the whatever had triggered such an odd phenomenon. For a moment nobody speaks. No one knows what to say. For in Trunks' arms lay, unconscious, a girl of perhaps sixteen. Pale-skinned and dark-haired. Pretty…and for all the peculiarities of her arrival…her looks and manner of dress are far from strange, in fact, she may have well been just an ordinary girl.

"Uh…maybe, we should take her inside?" Trunks suggests.

"Whatever." Vegeta grumbles as he stalks off to the house. "I can't believe I got into my armour for this."

And it is precisely this moment that the rain chooses to come down…hard.

Trunks sighs, "You're welcome to come in…she might wake up and we could get an explanation out of her."

_Inside Capsule Corporation_

The drenched Z warriors have only just entered when they hear Bulma's screech,

"I just cleaned up around here! And don't any of your dare track dirt in!" Yes, it is a known fact that the Briefs are well-off enough to have servants and whatnot to keep the estate tidy…but when she wasn't working…Bulma liked to play the role of typical 'house-wife'…and now is one of those times.

Bulma bustles in, ready to descend on the men like a harpy descends on her prey, "Move quickly I don't want the floor to get all wet! Vegeta grab some towels! And-oh…" She trails off as she catches sight of the girl, "I know I've been encouraging you to get a girlfriend, Trunks…But this is rather sudden." She smiles only slightly mischievously, "But, don't just stand there, get her into the living room. And you…" She points to the other Z warriors "Get into the kitchen…there's some tea and coffee you can help yourselves to and for goodness sake keep Goku away from the fridge." And with that Bulma rushes off to make sure her husband is doing as he'd been told.

Trunks marches into the living room while the Z warriors file into the kitchen…There is no arguing with Bulma, least of all in her own home. Trunks lays her down on the couch as gently as he can…and pauses in his movements when he sees her stir.

A tiny twitch of her nose before slowly she blinks her eyes open, vision blurry but gradually sliding into focus. And the first sight to greet her is the face of a lavender-haired youth…staring at her. And she screams.

Trunks backs away from the couch holding his hands up defensively, "It's okay, you're safe. I'm not going to hurt you." He attempts to calm her down.

The girl stares at him, having herself moved as far back as the couch would allow.

"What's going on here? I leave for a few minutes and something happens!" Bulma rushes in with a folded blanket, followed closely by the Z warriors. Goku has half a cake stuffed into his mouth despite having been banned from the fridge. Vegeta pushes in past his cake-munching rival to assess the situation.

"What did you do to her boy? Give in to temptation?" He smirks.

"Vegeta! Don't say that she probably was just startled waking up in a strange place, weren't you?" Bulma chides her husband before she smiles kindly at the still nameless girl.

"I…uh…" The girl stutters feebly.

"Who are you and were did you come from?" Vegeta demands.

"Vegeta…" Bulma shoots him a warning look before draping the blanket around the newcomer's shoulders. "But…We would like to know a little more about you…" The Capsule Corps genius smiles encouragingly.

"Um…I…don't…know…" She murmurs softly, wrapping the blanket tightly around herself.

The Z warriors share a contemplative glance with one another.

"I don't remember anything, not up to a few moments ago…I'm so confused."

"Perfect! The mystery is complete! I'm going to bed!" Vegeta grunts and stomps off once again muttering to himself about what a waste of time the whole affair has been.

"We might as well leave for now. Contact us when something…happens." Piccolo nods before he heads out the door.

"HOLY-! IS THAT THE TIME?!…Chi Chi is going to kill me!" Goku wastes no time and dashes out the door followed closely by Gohan and Krillin who remembered their own wives…Minutes later, all Z warriors have left.

Bulma gives the girl's shoulder a squeeze, "Let's get you out of those wet clothes…Follow me, I'll show you to your room."

She nods weakly, everything…has been a little much, especially for someone who has no memory

Trunks watches his mother lead the girl away in silence…questions burning his mind…Who is she? Where had she come from…How had she gotten there? Was she telling the truth about having lost her memory?

The older woman chats animatedly while the quiet young woman listens…or half-listens…while questions burned in Trunks' mind…they were plaguing hers.

"This will be your room…there's a private bathroom just through that door…and while you soak it up in a tub, I'll get you some clothes to wear…We can go shopping tomorrow." Bulma smiles.

"Thank you…for taking me in." After all, it isn't as if these people had any particular obligation to help her…they could have thrown her out onto the streets and make her somebody else's problem, "I'm really grateful."

"You're welcome…Just let me know if you need anything." She gives the girl a reassuring pat on the shoulder before she starts nudging her towards the bathroom, "Go on now, you'll catch a cold if you keep standing around in those wet clothes."

After having been successfully shooed into the bathroom…the girl takes a closer look at her surroundings. It is more than obvious that the people who'd taken her in are filthy rich…the size of the bathroom alone is a major indication to that fact…But it is the mirror that seizes her attention. It is an eerie feeling indeed, when you look into a mirror and instead of seeing your reflection find the face of a stranger staring back at you. This is what the girl fallen from the sky feels now. No memory of where she'd come from…or of who she was. The seconds tick away slowly before the thought of not recognizing her own face becomes too much and she numbly draws a bath.

*** *** ***

She finds Bulma waiting for her when she leaves the bathroom, towel wrapped securely around her.

"I hope you like the nightgown…It's a little something left over from my younger years…I'd still wear it but…Well childbirth tends to slap a few more generous curves onto you." Bulma laughs light-heartedly. "I got a robe for you too…I figured you wouldn't want to be seen running around in pj's…Especially with a teenage boy in the house…"

The girl blinks.

"Oh! Silly me! We didn't introduce ourselves properly, I'm Bulma. Trunks is my son, the young man you met earlier, you know when you screamed? And the grouchy one with the 'peculiar' hair is my husband Vegeta. And you haven't met her yet but I have a little girl named Bra." The blue-haired woman smiles, "But enough chit chat, I should let you get dressed and above all, get some sleep…" She pauses briefly, "Now, there's no need to worry, all of our bedrooms are close by. If you need anything just give one of us a knock, alright?"

The girl nods in reply.

"So, have a good night…um…" Bulma trails off, "What do we call you for the time being? Let me see…something that can describe you…" A moment of silence passes before, "Maitin. That's a good name. We can call you Mai for short. Well, see you in the morning." She gives the girl one last, what she hopes is a comforting squeeze before she leaves the room, shutting the door behind her.

(A/N It is pronounced MA-EE-TIN and is a Filipino word for black (in my mother's dialect), I was trying to go for other meanings and stuff but it's really hard to find a good sounding word for a name just like in Dragonball Z, trust Bulma to pick a name based on an outward appearance though ^_^)

Mai sighs as she changes into the nightgown after which she takes the opportunity to take a closer look at her surroundings. The room like the bathroom is large, but carpeted instead of tiled. A big window that overlooks…what she can only assume to be the backyard and she takes a moment to look out of it…in hopes of _something_ jogging her memory...but after several unsuccessful minutes she draws the blue curtains shut. Curling up in the satin sheets of the king-sized bed she switches of the bed side light allowing the darkness to envelop her. Only then do the tears flow freely. She doesn't know where she is, how she got there and she has no memory of her past, even her own name remains a mystery to her. She's frightened and confused. The people to find her have been nice enough…but it is still a lot to bear. She lays awake for most of the night and it is almost dawn before sleep finally conquers her exhausted mind…

End of chapter one

Author's Comments:

This is the first actual fanfic I've attempted to put to writing so be easy on me. And know that I don't have a well planned out guide to writing this. Let's just say that I know the beginning, I know the end and all of the stuff in between I make up as I go along. So please don't hesitate to review as I am eager to improve my writing skills.

Another thing, this is about ROMANCE, not lust, not sex. There may be kissing or a character suggesting to go to 'the bedroom' but nothing more than that as the story progresses. Just wanted to clear that up…stuff like this won't happen up unto MUCH later in the story anyway…

Edit:

I originally wrote this story years and years ago...in the early 2000's some time I think...under the username 'Tio' on another website. I lost inspiration and since no one seemed to be reading it (if lack of comments/reviews are any indication) I stopped writing it. Now though, after one person's email I was compelled to go back and read...And to my shock and horror found it to be so painfully badly written, corny and clichéd. I just have to go back and rewrite it...heck, once I've gone through and edited all the original chapters, I may just continue and finish the blasted thing.


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